Corn-harvester.



No. 688,l67. Patented Dec. 3, I901.

' .1. T. GREEN.

Y com: HARVESTER.

(Applicatit m filed Mar. 11, 1901.)

S sets-Sheet I.

(No'ModeL I NR w QQ NU H M 3 5 VEZVTOR WITNESSES. %?3,

No. 688,!67. Patented Dec. 3,190l.

J. T. GREEN.

CORN HARVESTEB.

(Application filed Mar. 11, 1901.1

W1 TNESSES:

. Patented Dec. 3, l90l. .1. T. GREEN. I CORN HARVESTER.

(Application filed Mar. 11, 1901.

(No Model.) 4 Sheats-Sheet 3.

Affol'lley No. 688,lfi7 Patented Dec. 3, l90l.

J. T. GREEN.

CORN HARVESTER.

(Aizplication filed. Mar. 11, 1901.]

(No Model.)

4 Shan Sheet 4.

WITNESSES.-

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN THOMAS GREEN, OF LAGRANGE, INDIANA.

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,167, dated December3, 190i. Aipplication filed March 11, 1901. Serial N0- -621. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN THOMAS GREEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lagrange, in the county of Lagrange and State ofIndiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCorn-Harvesters; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to'make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements incorn-harvesters; and it consists in the provision of apparatus wherebytwo or more rows of corn may be simultaneously cut and after being bounddeposited upon the ground.

The invention will be hereinafter more fully described, and thenspecifically defined in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form part of thisapplication, and in which drawings similar letters of reference indicatelike parts throughout the several views, in which- 7 Figure 1 is aperspective view of my improved corn-harvester. Fig. 2 is a top planview. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isa front elevation. Fig. 5 is a detail of the dividing attachment. Fig. 6is a detail view of means for holding the clamping-rope. Fig. 7 is adetail in perspective of a portion of the hinged frame and looking meanstherefor. Fig. 8 is a detail view in perspective of the means forpushing back on the table the stalks as they are cut.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, Adesignates the platform of the machine, and B the drivingwheels, whichare mounted on the axle B. Said axle has a gear B which is adapted to bethrown into mesh with a gear B by means of a clutch-lever B whereby saidaxle may be caused to rotate with the driving-wheels B. Mounted upon theplatform are the upright rods 0, which are connected together at theirtops by means of rods 0, forming a support for the hinged frame, whichis mounted upon the top of the frame. any suitable location are thebeveled gearwheels D, which mesh with the beveled pinions D, which arekeyed to rotate with the vertically-disposed shafts D These shafts Dhave keyed near their lower ends the cuttin g-disks E, and immediatelyabove said outting-disks are the fingered stalk -engaging disks F, theends of which are adapted to project beyond the circumference of saidcutting- .disks and to engage and feed rearward the stalks of corn asthey are cut by said disks. It will be observed upon examination of thedrawings that there are two sets of these outting-disks with uprightposts similarly constructed and so located as to come opposite two rowsof corn, which are adapted to be cut at the same time. Said shafts D arehollow and are journaled upon the upright posts 0 of the frame of themachine, and secured to and rotating With said shafts D near their upperends, are the fingered disks F, which are similar in construction to thedisks F, be fore described. These disks F are for the purpose of causingthe upper ends or tops of the stalks to be fed rearward after the samehave been cut. Said platform is made up of a series of parallel beamsA,which are spaced apart, and in the spaces between said beams are thehinged tables A there being two of these tables between each pair ofbeams. Said tables are hinged at their outer edges to said rods A andjournaled in the apertured ends of links G, mounted upon the axle B, isa shaft G, which is parallel to the axle B, and keyed to said shaft G isa crank G, having connection with the operating-lever H by means of linkconnection H. Also keyed to rotate with the shaft G are the crank-armsG3, which have chain connections G with the free edge of each of saidhinged-tables, whereby as the operating-lever H 'is drawn back saidtables are drawn to horizontal positions with their free longitudinaledges adjacent to one another, and on the reverse movement of saidoperating-lever the tables are allowed to drop down into verticalpositions,as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

The dividers for receiving the hills of corn each consist of a verticalrod K, which is journaled at its lower end in suitable bearings in oneof said beams A, while its upper Keyed to the axle B at end is journaledin a bearingv carried upon the framework of the harvester. Secured toeach end of said rod is a dividing member K,

having two curved arms K which merge toagainst one side or the other ofthe straight projecting portion K and the impact or the slight pressureof the stalks against said straight end will cause the member to tiltlaterally, so that its opposite side will strike against one of thecurved geared irons C of the framework. As the hill of corn strikes oneof the curved arms the dividing member will be partially rotated, sothat its free straight end K will be thrown againstthe oppositecurvedrod 0 thus-allowing the next hillitoengage the curved arm on theopposite side, thus alternately dividing the hills onone side or theother of the central bar 0.

In order to compress-the shocks for bind-- ing, a rope L is secured atone end-to the frame, while its opposite or free end isheld withinconvenient reach of-the operator, whose seat is mounted nearthe centralpart of the platform, as shown in thedrawings, the top of said'seatbeing swiveled, so as to allow the operator to have access-to thevarious parts ofth-e machine while in operation. Thiscompressing cord orrope is secured at one" end to a block M, Fig. 6, having a clampingmember M, pivoted over aslotted portion therein", in whichslottedportion the free end of the rope iscaught'and held by saidcla'mpingmember temporarily while the shock is being boundi In compressing theshock the operaton'passes the rope about the stalks and draws the cordtau t, and to hold the purchase while the shock 'isbeing tied the ropeis caught in the slotted end of the. block Maud the pivoted tongue swungto the'position shown in Fig. 6. There are two of'these ropes similarl'yadjusted and loosely laid upon the-top of the frame to receive thestalks as they are cutby the disks.

Hinged to the collars O on the top rods'G of the frame is a hingedframe- N, which is adapted to swing away from the top of the frame: Thelongitudinal swinging endof the hinged frame'is adaptedto normally restover the topof the frame adjacent -'to itsrear end, asshown'clearly inthe drawings; This hinged frame isprovid'ed for the purpose of holdingthe stalks-and the shock" before the latter have been deposited upon theground. To n'or-' mally hold thehinged frame in a locked relation'withreference to the frame, a catch Q is provided, which normally engages" astop on-.one of the upright rods 0 of the frame. An 'operating leverRispivoted to'thehinged frame,- as-at O andpasses through a loop S,which loopis-pivoted to one of the cross-pieces scene? of the hingedframe, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. Connectingsaid catch with the lever is a rod T, which as the lever is raised sothat it contacts with the upper end of the loop S will cause said catchto -be released from the stop or lug on the frame and allow the hingedframe to be raised ver tically by a further forward movement of theoperating-lever B, said hinged frame being lifted by the top as thelever is thrown forward. The shafts of the machine consist of two polesJ,which have their rear ends forked and provided with bearings J, whichare journaled over the axle B. These poles are preferably made, as shownin the drawings, adjacent to the drivingwheels, so that horses which arehitched onthe outside of each pole will be on-opposite sidesof thetwo'in'terve-ning rows of corn, the forward ends of the poles beingconnected together by means of the curved bar or yoke J which iscurved,as shown, for the purpose of clearing the tops of the stalks. I

In order to push the stalks rearward" from the disks as they are cut,Iprovide-push-plates W, which are L-shaped and are'mounted on spring-armsW,which are secured to the links G, connecting the two'parallel shafts Band G. As the wheels D rotate, the pins D ,.car ried thereby,will strikeagainst the lug W ,secured to said plates'W, which will caus'ethe latterto spring back, and with theplatesth e stalks of corn will be forcedrearward. As said arms are tiexible,they will return to their normalpositions, which are as shown in the drawings.

In'op'eration thehills of corn in two rows are cut simultaneously, andat each-revolu-' tion of'the beveled gear-wheels the pins-D carriedthereby will throw the presser-p'lates rearward; which will push-thestalks of corn onto the tables, and'when asuflicient quantity of cornhas accumulated, resting upon said tables held in horizontalpositions-and leaning against the swinging end" of the hinged frame, themachine is-stopped. The operator, grasping the free end ofthecompressing-ropecarrying theblock M, bywinding theropeonceabout thebunchof stalks and catching the rope-inthe slot-in the block M, compressesthe shock by pulling the rope through the slot in said blockandafterward bindsthe'samewith a-cord, and'turningup'on his seat bindsthe second shock, after which he pushes forward on theoperating-lever H,which through the-link H", connectedto the crank G, (the'latter being,keyed to the shaft G,) will cause the latter to rock; and with it thecranks G Fig. 1,- which have chain connections with the free edges :-ofthe hinged dumping-tables. As each tableA has similar connections withthe shaft G, these tables A are thrown downward and the shocks falltothe ground. By throwing the lever R upward the hinged frame'is thrownto a vertical position tofreethe tops of the stalks which arebound intoshocks and the latter fall over upon the ground, after which the tablesare thrown to horizontal positions and the hinged frame thrown down to ahorizontal position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a corn harvester, the combination with the platform,the gear-shaftand driving wheels, the upright frame, the rotary cutters and thefingered disks as described, the dividing mechanism mounted adjacent tothe cutting-disks adapted to automatically throw the hills of cornalternately on one side or the other of the upright bars or rods of theframework, as set forth.

2. A corn-harvester, comprising in combination with the platform, ageared shaft and operating-wheels, horizontally-disposed cutting-disksand vertical shafts supporting same, said shafts being journaled onupright portions of the frame, fingered disks mounted at the oppositeends of said disk-carrying shafts, hinged tables arranged in pairs inthe rear of each cutting-disk, and a dividing attachment mountedintermediate each pair of tables, and adapted to alternately throw hillsof corn on one or the other of said tables, as set forth.

3. A corn-harvester, comprising in combination with the platform, thegeared drivingshaft and wheels mounted thereon, the vertical shaftshaving geared connection with the driving-shaft, the cutting-disks keyedto rotate with said vertical shafts, the fingered disks mounted near theupper and lower ends of said vertically-disposed shafts, the hingedtables arranged in pairs, and means for operating the same, the dividingmember having curved arms and shaft carrying same, which latter has aslight rocking motion, and mounted adjacent to the fingered disks, oneof said curved disks being located adjacent to each pair of fingereddisks, as set forth.

4. In combination with a corn-harvester having the platform, geareddriving mechanism and cutters as described, the fingered disks, thedividing attachment consisting of a vertically-mounted rod journaled tohave a partial rotary movement in the frame of the harvester, memberseach having two curved arms with a forwardl'yprojecting straight portionone member keyed to the upper and the other to the lower end of saidrod, the straight ends of said members being disposed between andslightly above each pair of fingered disks.

5. In combination with a corn-harvester having a platform, the geareddriving-shaft, the horizontally-disposed cutting-disks, the fingereddisks, an automatically-operated dividing member for dividing the hillsof corn, a hinged frame pivoted to the frame of the harvester adapted tosupport the stalks as they are cut, and means for swinging said hingedframe, as set forth.

6. In combination with the platform, the driving-shaft and wheelsmounted thereon, the horizon tally-disposed cutting and fingered disks,the dividing member, the hinged tables, the shaft having crank and chainconnections with said tables, the operating-haudleconnected to saidtable-actuating shaft, a hinged frame pivoted to the framework of theharvester, a handle pivoted to the hinged frame, a catch secured to androtating with the free end rod of said hinged frame, and rod connectionbetween said catch and operatinglever pivoted to said hinged frame,whereby as the operating-lever is raised, the catch is released and thehinged frame raised,as shown and described.

7. In combination with the main drivingshaft, the parallel shaft andlinks G supporting same above the operating-shaft,the springarms securedto said links, the plates on said arms, the bevel gear-wheels and pinscarried thereby which are adapted to actuate said arms as said wheelsrotate, for the purpose of pushing the stalks of corn back on the tables behind the cutting-disks, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN THOMAS GREEN. Witnesses: I

Mosus BALYEAT, J. L. SHORT.

